Head support for vehicle seat backs

ABSTRACT

A device including a head support attachable to a vehicle seat. Attachment is achieved by a first fastener applied to the seat back and a second fastener applied to the head support. The head support is provided in the form of a shaped pillow to receive an individual&#39;s head providing both frontal and lateral support while sitting in an upright, non-leaning position. The pillow may be adjusted vertically in reference to the seat back to accommodate the requirements of the user.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to head supports for vehicle seats and inparticular it relates to a formed pillow that is adjustably andremovably attachable to a seat back or headrest on a seat back wherebythe head is comfortably supported for sleeping in a sitting position.

2. Background of the Invention

Passengers riding in vehicles such as cars, trains, buses and airplanesfrequently desire to nap or sleep during a portion of the trip,especially when the trip is of a long duration. One of the problems intrying to nap or sleep while riding in the vehicle is attaining acomfortable position. The trunk of the body is generally well supportedby the cushion and back of the seat for comfortable sitting. Forsleeping the head needs to be comfortably supported as well which is anobjective of the present invention.

Loose pillows have been used to provide support to the head butgenerally are not satisfactory. The problem with loose pillows is thatthey cannot be easily placed for optimum comfort and then will not stayin position.

Many of the seats (chairs) of the vehicles are reclinable and haveheadrests extending upward from the back of the seat. The headrest maybe an extension of the back or a separate unit fastened to the backportion of the seat. The intent of the headrest, however, is not toprovide comfort to an individual desiring to nap but is provided toreduce the risk of injury to the neck or spine in the event of acollision. These headrests are not in contact with the individual's headduring the normal posture assumed when seated in the seat. The head isnormally positioned ahead of the rest a few inches so as not tointerfere with normal head movement. To engage the headrest theindividual thus has to tilt the head back to an unnatural anduncomfortable position. Additionally, the headrests of this type do notprovide lateral or side support.

The basic concept of a head support for sleeping is not unique to thisinvention. Headrests that are adaptable to bring the headrest intocontact with the head are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,600,240, Sumanet. al. and 3,948,562, Grabner et. al. and 4,682,817, Freber. Theyrequire headrest mounting mechanisms that pivot the headrests forward.This mechanism adds undue expense to the headrest construction and alsolacks the versatility of adjusting the headrest to the height of theindividual. They also do not provide for lateral support of the head. Inshort, they accomplish the singular benefit of bringing the headrestforward and into contact with the user's head.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,948, Perkey discloses an auxiliary formed pillowthat is clamped between the top of the seat and the conventionalheadrest. This device does provide for height adjustment and depends onthe special mounting mechanism of the headrest and the seat-headrestdesign for appropriate clamping of the auxiliary support between theseat top and the headrest.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,383, Earl discloses a pillow that will fully supportthe side of the user's head and is designed to fit onto one side or theother of the seat back. The user leans to the side with his/her headpressed against the side of the headrest. The one-sided pillow needs tobe sufficiently wide to provide the necessary support. When alternativesupport for either side of the user's head is desired, two spacedpillows attached to a base member which in turn requires attachmentmeans to the seat back, is employed.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,398, Hargrove and U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,878, Wootendisclose headrests permanently attached to a seat but having sidesupport for the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes an auxiliary portable head support thatreadily attaches/detaches to a vehicle seat to provide added comfort toan individual seated in a vehicle. The support is a formed pillow thatpartially wraps around the user's head and is located at the center ofthe seat for supporting the head in a substantially centered(non-leaning) position in the seat. Minimal side force is applied to thesupport and it is adequately secured to the seat and readily attachedand detached using, e.g. VELCRO type fastening. The seat itself can becovered with appropriate material, or strips of VELCRO can be attachedto the seat, or also a slipcover of the desired material or having theVelcro strips can be applied to the seat. In some instances, theconventional headrest can be covered or alternatively designed to have areplaceable insert that will convert the conventional headrest to a headsupport in accordance with the invention. These and other variations ofthe invention will be more clearly understood with reference to thedrawings and detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a head support of the present invention in theprocess of being applied to a slipcover provided on a back of a vehicleseat;

FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c are views of alternative ways to attach theslipcover to the back of the vehicle seat;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the head support only;

FIG. 4 illustrates a manner of attaching the head support to aconventional headrest; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an alternate manner of attaching the headsupport to a headrest.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Refer now to FIG. 1 of the drawings. It illustrates one embodiment of anadjustable head support 20 fitted to a vehicle seat back 32 of a seat30. In this embodiment, the head support 20 is attached to a jacket(slipcover) 12 applied to the seat back 32.

The jacket 12 is a form of slipcover that is contoured to the shape ofthe seat back 32. The seats 30 of different vehicles are not of the samesize or shape and, therefore, the jacket 12 is sized according to theseat back 32 to which it is to be fitted. The jacket 12 fitted to theseat back 32 covers the upper area of the seat back. As shown, the front14 of the jacket 12 extends downwardly a distance sufficient so that ahead of a short individual, such as a child, will be adjacent an area ofthe front 14 of the jacket 12 when the individual is seated in thevehicle seat 30. The front 14 of the jacket 12 is of one material andthe back 18 (not shown in FIG. 1) is preferably of an elastic material.The front 14 and back 18 are fastened together as by sewing in aconventional manner. The front 14 is of a material that is comfortableto the touch and has a surface that is matable with a self adheringfastener, e.g., a VELCRO brand self adhering fastener will adhere to it.Such a material is sold under the trademark TEMPO. The material of thefront of the jacket 12 perform the function of the female (looped)portion of a self adhering Velcrotype fastener. The back of the jacket12 being of elastic material is stretched as the jacket 12 is fitted tothe seat back 32. The jacket 12 is thus form fit to the seat back 32 andhas a defined front 14, side 16 and back 18. The elastic back also holdsthe jacket 12 in position on the seat back 32.

The jacket 12, as stated, is configured to fit the requirement of theseat back and the individual user. For example, FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2cillustrate alternate backs of the jacket 12 to suit the requirements offitting the jacket 12 to the seat back 32. FIG. 2a illustrates one formof the back of the jacket 12 of FIG. 1, the back being designated byreference 18. Another variation of the jacket 12 is shown in FIG. 2b.The back 18' is suited for seats that have a smooth finish such as vinylor leather. The auxiliary elastic strap 19 fitted across the bottom ofthe back 18' aids to hold the jacket 12 in position on a smooth seat.Seats 30, such as in airplanes, that have a tray affixed to the rear ofthe seat back 32 require a jacket that does not interfere with thefunction of the tray. The jacket 12 as illustrated in FIG. 2c for thistype of seat has a foreshortened back 18''. The front 14 may also beforeshortened to the same length or it can be extended as illustrated.The jacket 12 having the extended front is provided with an auxiliarystrap 19' that extends from the front 14 around the back of the seat andfits beneath the tray of the seat back.

The pillow 20, further illustrated in FIG. 3, is "U" shaped (in planview), having a generally flat back 22 and a front 24 that is concaveand sized to provide support to a head of an individual. The sides 26and 28 of the concave front 24 provide lateral support. The pillow 20 ispreferably of a molded foam having a yieldable resiliency. The pillow 20is suitably covered such as with a fabric in a conventional manner.Affixed to the back 22 is a self adhering material 23, such as VELCRO.The material 23 is the hooked (male) portion of the self adheringfastener and will adhere to the material of the front 14 and sides 16 ofthe jacket 12. The pillow 20 is thus positionable at any position on thesurface of the front 14 or the sides 16. The capability of positioningthe pillow at any position on the area of the front 14 accommodatesindividuals of different heights, permits a user to adjust the positionof the pillow to any position of comfort and the user may readily changethe position by merely pulling the pillow 20 off the front 14 andrepositioning. When not in use, the pillow may be stored under the seat,in the glove compartment or in a separate container as it is of a sizethat is easily stored in a relatively small space.

Many vehicle seats have a head restraint (head rest) separate from butattached to the seat back. The head restraints are often mounted onadjustable support members with the head restraint being adjustable upand down relative to the seat back. The normal profile of the headrestraint does not contact the head of an individual seated in the seatunless the individual tilts the head rearward to an uncomfortableposition. FIG. 4 illustrates a head restraint 34 of this type that has acover 36 fitted to the cushion portion 38 of the head restraint. Thecover is retained on the cushion by a conventional fastening mechanismsuch as an elastic band 39 fitted in the peripheral edge of the open endof the cover. The band secures the cover 36 in position on the cushion38 of the head restraint 34. Snaps or other fasteners such as VELCRO mayalso be utilized to secure the cover 36 on the cushion 38. The cover 36is of the same type of material as the front of the jacket 12. Thepillow 20 will thus adhere to the cover and hold the pillow in position.The pillow 20 will adjust up and down with the adjustment of the headrestraint 34 and may be additionally adjusted by placing the pillow inthe appropriate position on the cover 36 that is fitted to the cushion38.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a head restraint 40 similar to restraint 34except that it has a removable insert 42 (FIG. 6). The insert 42 fittingin a formed cutout 44 of the restraint 40 provides the normal profile ofthe head restraint. The insert 42 is held in position by conventionalself adhering fasteners such as VELCRO. A fastener 46 is fitted to theback of the insert 42 and a fastener 48 matable with fastener 46 isfitted to the cutout 44 of the head restraint 40. A pillow 50 (FIG. 5)having a configured back that matches the cutout 44 and having a selfadhering fastener 51 fitted to the back is exchangeable with the insert42. The pillow 50 fitted in the cutout 44 and secured by fasteners 48,51 provides an extension to the restraint 40 for supporting the head ofan individual. The pillow 50 is shaped to have a concave front 56 withsides 58 and 60 of the front providing lateral support to an individualshead. The vertical position of the pillow 50 is adjusted by adjustingthe restraint 40 either up or down in a conventional manner.Additionally the pillow 50 may be adjusted vertically on the headrestraint 40.

The pillow 50 and insert 42 illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 are eachillustrated with self adhering fastener strips, such as VELCRO, attachedto the back portion. An alternative is to provide the head restraint 40or the pillow 50 and insert 42 covered with the previously describedfastener material, such as TEMPO, that a self adhering fastener (VELCRO)will adhere to. In this way, only a fastener 48 on the head restraint 40(or on the pillow and insert) need be employed

Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations andmodifications may be made without departing from the true scope andspirit of the invention. The invention is therefore not to be limited tothe embodiments described and illustrated but is to be determined by theclaims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A head rest/pillow device adapted for supportinga head of a passenger while napping the seat of a moving vehicleincluding bus, train, airplane and automobile said device comprising;anintegral lightweight deformable pillow of compact size for convenientcarry on and storage and having front and back sides configured with aconcave front side for cradling the head of an individual; a slipcoverremovably mounted on a seat back having a head rest attached to the topof the seat back, said slipcover formed of a front panel of soft looppile material and a rear panel of elastic material, said slipcoveradapted to fit over the seat back and head rest and extended downwardlyfrom the head rest on the seat back to a lower position on said seatback intermediate its longitudinal dimension to cover a range of userhead positions, first and second matable releasable fasteners, saidfirst fastener being the soft loop pile material of the slipcover andthe second fastener being a hook pile material provided on the back sideof said pillow, said hook pile material being releasably attachable tosaid loop pile material at any position between said head rest at thetop of the seat back and said lower position, said pillow therebyvertically adjustable relative to a seat back on which said slip coveris mounted between unlimited positions between said head rest and saidlower position, said pillow providing cushion support for the back andsides of the user's head and said fasteners mounting the pillowcentrally on the seat back and at a selected vertical position tosupport the user's head with the user comfortably sitting in the seat ina substantially non-leaning, partially reclined, position, and said softloop pile material being comfortable to the user's head with the pillowremoved from the seat back.
 2. A head rest/pillow device adapted forsupporting the head of a passenger while napping in a sitting positionleaning back on the back rest of a seat of a moving vehicle includingbus, train, airplane and automobile, said device comprising;an integrallight weight, pillow of compact size and formed from a yieldablyresilient material for convenient carry on and storage and said pillowhaving a U shaped front side for cradling the head of a user with thelegs of the U restricting side movement of the user's head and theconnecting web having a thickness of the resilient material whereby thefront side thereof is projected forward of the back rest to engage andsupport the user's head in the sitting position; a slipcover adapted tofit over the back rest of the seat having a front side formed of a softloop pile material, said loop pile material provided continuouslybetween an upper position at the top of the seat back and a lowerposition intermediate the seat back's longitudinal dimension andsubstantially across the entire width on said seat back to cover a rangeof user head positions, said pillow having a back side formed of a hookpile material that is releasably attachable to said loop pile materialis any position between said upper and lower positions, said pillowthereby vertically adjustable relative to a seat back on which saidslipcover is provided at unlimited positions between said upper andlower position, said loop pile material on said slipcover and said hookpile material on the back of the pillow mounting the pillow centrally onthe seat back and at a selected vertical position to support the user'shead with the user comfortably sitting in the seat in a substantiallynon-leaning, partially reclined, position and said loop pile materialhaving the property of being non-abrasive to a user's touch and therebycomfortable to the user's head and neck with the pillow removed from theseat back.